About Us

“artists working with artists celebrating our rare piece of earth through music”

When was the last time you saw something that made such an impact on you that you couldn’t get it out of your head and it was only later that the horrific scene that embedded itself within your soul was so beyond important that it literally changed your perception of the world you lived in ... it struck you to your core ... it planted a seed that woke you when you slept? The ‘seed’ that nested within me arrived on a visit to Cozumel just after Hurricane Wilma had its way with the tiny island. The devastation was enormous but it was the plastic jugs, plastic bags, plastic... plastic ... plastic!!! ... everywhere on each precious grain of sand on the stunning beaches of this special spot within our world.

We, at Rarearth are working toward as 'green' a festival as we can be.  Our Food Vendors are on board with us using Aspenware wooden cutlery, potato starch containers, cups and plates, corn starch garbage bags.  Teaching our children about the planet through song & action with 'Kiki the Eco Elf'.  We will compost and recycle all that we have this year and want you all to bring refillable water containers and non-plastic bags.  We just all have to do the best we can do to honor our 'rare piece of earth'.

Putting that aside for just a minute ... which is just way too easy to do ... back in beautiful BC ... back to business – music, writing about musicians who intrigue me ... actually, they really are a bunch of krazy kats – BUT ... they create the music that makes us smile, cry, remember, and sing along with. What would we do without them? ... a silent world with no way to release our feelings of love, anger, confusion, and heartbreak – how boring is that!  Thankfully they do what they do, so we have something to write about, read about, and talk about, and me? ... I like to do all of that but right now I just want to show them off ...

... and on a completely different subject ... what about our kids?  ... we love the little darlings ... so think about this ... they’ll be taking care of us one day, so we might want to put some importance on what we do today, for our own well-being in the future. Raising a family changes constantly ... but even though our families seem tighter ... tighter doesn’t always include music or recognizing what’s going on with our earth. 

So with the collaboration of years of musical ideas, environmental seed planting, and the worry for our children, the vision of putting it altogether through a festival was borne; a festival that could be instrumental in the education of the next generation; where it would beg us all to take a silent moment to really look at the blade of grass growing beneath our feet; one that would provide an arena for local musicians to create music with some of the best the world offers, thus the creation of ‘Rarearth’ in 2008– a festival who first respects our rare piece of earth, lifts the self-esteem of our young musicians, supports local talent, and invites the world to the ‘heart of the Okanagan’ in Vernon, BC.

Even though we just about froze with 5 degree weather, in 2008, we ‘ROCKED’ the stage anyways, with blues goddess Rita Chiarelli, Ndidi Onukwula, Carlos del Junco, Jack Semple, the Black Owl Blues Band, Rumba Calzada, David the Saxman Brown, local artists Judy Rose, Dan Engelland, the Salmon Armenians, my own ‘Tomkats’ with special guest Henry Piovesan, and 7-10 years old ‘Sistas Blue’. 

The Terrace Mountain fire threatened to cancel us in  2009 but we once again ROCKED two stages when we added ‘Stage Right’ –for kids from www.ourkidshavetalent.com, a talent competition sponsored by 107.5 Kiss FM, where over $10,000 in cash and prizes was up for grabs with the promise for kids to perform on their own stage with their own Sound Engineers and Production Crew. 1st place winners will always have a place on the Main Stage with our ‘seasoned’ artists. Stage Right featured over 90 kids who got the ‘festival’ feel when they played with our amazing line-up of musicians including Jimmy Bowskill, Dawn Tyler Watson, Kal David & Lori Bono,  Alfie Zappacosta, Company B Band, and 5 x Grammy Award Winner Mr. Buddy Guy. Also, in 2009, we were nominated for ‘Best New Business’, ‘Best Marketer’, Best Community Supporter, and BEST GREEN BUSINESS, through the Business Excellence Awards! 

In 2010, we went to 3 days incorporating an easy jazz and blues Friday night with Wes Mackey, local Artists Sherman Doucette and Matt Harwood-Jones, , non-stop ‘world’ music Saturday, and Sunday where we featured Maria Muldaur, Andrew Allen, Barney Bentall, Black Pioneer Heritage Singers, David Gogo,  Jim Byrnes & the Sojourners, other local bands and of course Stage Right featuring another 75 kids.

So, we're really stepping out by moving the venue and the date!  But, know this is all good and we are so excited to have Silver Star Mountain Resort host Rarearth on July 23 & 24, 2011; we anticipate a long standing relationship. Two days of Non-Stop Music, and Non-Stop dancing will only be one of the action packed weekend attractions, Mountain Biking, Wildflower Nature Walks, Family Accommodation Packages, Horseback Riding, a Jam at the Saloon on Saturday Night, Scenic Chair Lift Rides, Tons of Camping (c/w hot showers and indoor washrooms), Animals Welcome! (designated areas), even pet sitting will all make this another 'Rarearth' weekend to remember.

We invite you to click on our Performers Link for this year’s line-up. We look forward to an amazing weekend with you, your family and your friends at Silver Star Mountain, in beautiful Vernon, BC!